2002
Events January * ** The mutual treaty, initially signed in , officially enters into force. ** The is officially introduced in the countries. The former currencies of all the countries that use the Euro ceased to be legal tender on February 28. * – erupts in the , displacing an estimated 400,000 people. * – The comes to a conclusion with the defeat of the by government forces. February * – of the celebrates her , marking 50 years since her accession to the thrones of the , , and . * – – The are held in . * – The , the former president of , begins at the in . * – 's begins to map the surface of using its thermal emission imaging system. * – guerilla leader is killed in clashes against government troops led by in , . His death leads to the end of the on April 4. March * – The is launched, with its purpose being the recording of information on environmental change. * – A Palestinian 30 people and injures 140 others at a hotel in , , triggering , a large-scale counter-terrorism operation in the , two days later. April * – Israeli forces the in , when militants took shelter there. The siege would last for 38 days. * – The takes place at Westminster Abbey, London. * – crashes into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near , , killing 129 people. * – South African blasts off from the on the , becoming the first African space tourist. May * – regains its independence after 2-and-a-half years of United Nations administration and 26 years of by since . * – In Moscow, United States President and Russian President sign the to replace the of and the of . * – A operating as breaks up and crashes in the , killing all 225 passengers and crew on board. * – – The in South Korea and Japan; which is ultimately won by Brazil. June * – An object with an estimated diameter of 10 meters over the and detonates in mid-air. * – The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by in the . * – A passenger train in , , killing 281 people, making it the worst rail accident in African history. July * ** The comes into force, thereby establishing the . ** A Russian passenger jet and cargo plane over the town of , , killing 71 people. * – The is disbanded and replaced by the . August * – begins in , , aimed at discussing by the . September * – Switzerland joins the as the 190th member state after rejecting a place in 1986. * – General leads an army mutiny in an attempt to overthrow President , resulting in . * – The , a possible impact, occurs in , Russia. * – The ese passenger ferry capsizes in a storm off the coast of , killing 1,863 people. * – is admitted to the as the 191st member state. October * – militants in two nightclubs in , , killing 202 people and injuring over 300 in the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's history. * – – rebels take control of the theatre in and . At least 170 people are killed following a Russian attempt to subdue the militants. November * – A is held in . The people reject Spanish sovereignty. * – The unanimously adopts , forcing to either "serious consequences". Iraq agrees to the terms of the resolution on November 13. * – : Greek oil tanker splits in half off the coast of after spilling an estimated 17.8M US gallons (420,000 bbl) in the worst environmental disaster in the history of the . * – U.S. President signs the into law, establishing the , in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the in . * – : Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in , Kenya, but their colleagues failed in their attempt to bring down an charter flight with surface-to-air-missiles. December * – A U.S. is shot down by an Iraqi in the first combat engagement between a drone and conventional aircraft. Category:Timeline